Olive Garden India opening at Aerocity

Olive Garden opened its first restaurant in India at World St., Worldmark Aerocity in New Delhi on May 18, 2026, according to industry coverage and the brand’s India website. The American-Italian chain entered the market through Gourmet Investments Hospitality Group, which is leading the launch in partnership with Darden International & Franchising. The opening gives Olive Garden a first physical foothold in India after months of pre-launch announcements around an Aerocity debut. Local Samosa and trade publications described the outlet as the brand’s India debut and its first store in the country. ### When exactly did Olive Garden open in India, and where is the restaurant? May 18, 2026 is the date cited by Hotelier India for Olive Garden’s India launch at World St., Worldmark, Aerocity, New Delhi. ETHospitalityWorld reported the same location in a May 19 item, while Olive Garden’s India website says the brand is “now in Aerocity.” Those references align with the “May fourth week” timing cited in Local Samosa’s restaurant roundup published on May 21. (localsamosa.com) Worldmark Aerocity is one of Delhi’s large hospitality and food-and-beverage clusters near the airport. In statements carried by trade publications, Bharti Real Estate Managing Director and CEO S.K. Sayal said Olive Garden had joined World St. at Worldmark, which he described as a curated culinary and social destination. (hotelierindia.com) ### Who brought Olive Garden to India? Gourmet Investments Hospitality Group brought Olive Garden to India, according to multiple trade reports on the launch. ETHospitalityWorld said the group would spearhead the brand’s entry and growth in the country, while Local Samosa also identified Gourmet Investments Hospitality Group as the company behind the introduction. (hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com) Ramit Bharti Mittal, executive chairman and director of Gourmet Investments Hospitality Group, said the launch was part of the company’s plan to bring global dining brands to India. Brad Smith, president of Darden International & Franchising, said Darden was partnering with its franchisee Gourmet Investments Hospitality Group for the first Olive Garden in India. (hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com) ### What is Olive Garden serving at the Aerocity outlet? Olive Garden’s India positioning centers on its established American-Italian menu and family-style service. Local Samosa said the outlet brought the brand’s signature dining format to India with a focus on family-style meals, comforting flavours and a casual setting. ETHospitalityWorld said the India menu stayed tied to Olive Garden’s American-Italian heritage while being adapted for local preferences, with vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. (hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com) Olive Garden’s India website promotes the chain’s “unlimited soup or salad and breadsticks” offer and describes the brand as “Italian-inspired dining, made for family.” The site does not, in the material surfaced here, list a full text menu, but it confirms the Aerocity opening and the brand’s core dine-in proposition. ### How has the India restaurant been designed? Hotelier India said the World St. outlet was designed around Olive Garden’s Tuscan roots, with sun-washed tones, rustic textures and warm lighting. (localsamosa.com) The publication also said the restaurant includes indoor and alfresco seating planned for everyday dining, celebrations and group gatherings, and identified Incubis consultants as the design firm. (olivegarden.in) Other launch reports similarly described the restaurant as a flagship site intended to introduce Olive Garden’s established look and feel to Indian diners. Those reports framed the Aerocity outlet as the first step in building the brand locally rather than a one-off opening. ### What comes next after the Aerocity launch? Delhi-NCR is the first expansion market Olive Garden has identified in India. (hotelierindia.com) ETHospitalityWorld reported that Gourmet Investments Hospitality Group plans a phased rollout across Delhi-NCR before expanding to other key cities in the country. Earlier January reports on the planned launch had also pointed to a Delhi-NCR-first expansion sequence. (hospitalitynews.in) As of May 22, 2026, Olive Garden’s India website says the Aerocity restaurant is open now. The next concrete milestone the company has publicly outlined is that phased Delhi-NCR rollout under Gourmet Investments Hospitality Group, with the Aerocity outlet serving as the first operating location. (olivegarden.in) (hospitality.economictimes.indiatimes.com)